Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Oct 5, 2011

Buyer Beware: Breast Cancer Awareness Products:

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month... that time of year when it seems like everybody and their favorite N-F-L player is wearing something pink to “raise awareness” --and money-- “for the cause.” Let’s face it. The pink products are also a good marketing gimmick for designers and retailers. So it’s easy to get cynical about what is otherwise a good thing.
So if you want to support the cause with a pink purchase, but not sure who's in it for the right reasons, you can't go wrong with designer BETSEY JOHNSON. That’s because she’s also a breast cancer survivor. She’s created her own line that includes socks, a tank top, gloves, earrings, a charm bracelet and other accessories. Betsey's cancer-free now. And she told People magazine that she’s excited to get a chance to give back. She also says her products are about more than raising funds. The designer famous for cartwheeling down the catwalk at the end of her shows --which she also did after her cancer treatment-- says it's also about having fun.
Editor's Note: Nice to know there's some substance in an industry that is oh-so-much about shallowness. Take that, cynics.

Broadcast, cable and video news:

JOEL and ETHAN COEN, who produced the films "Fargo," "The Big Lebowski," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," "No Country for Old Men" and "True Grit," have decided to do a TV show.
The Hollywood Reporter says the Brothers' show will be called "Harve Karbo," about a touchy Los Angeles private investigator --and his deadbeat friends in El Segundo.

There'll be a new muppet on "Sesame Street."
Producers of the kid-friendly show say they've decided to introduce a pink muppet called Lily who will bring awareness to the ongoing hunger struggles that poor families face in the United States.
Lily will be introduced in a one-hour special, Sun, Oct 09. Country star BRAD PAISLEY and his wife, KIMBERLY WILLIAMS, will appear on the show as well.

The Reel Deal:

Not really a surprise: with the success of the 3D re-release of "The Lion King" --which has pulled in nearly $100 million in three weeks-- Disney says it'll be re-releasing four more animated films --"Beauty and the Beast," "Finding Nemo," "Monsters, Inc." and "The Little Mermaid" as well. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise --it cost Disney less than $10 million to convert "The Lion King" to 3D, so to pull the other films out of the vault was a no-brainer.
As Disney president ALAN BERGMAN put it, “Great stories and great characters are timeless, and at Disney we’re fortunate to have a treasure trove of both.”

Overheard on Sunset Blvd:

How about a movie about a talking horse?
I know what you're thinking --it's been done before, in the 1960s TV series, "Mr Ed."
Bingo. And Daily Variety magazine says FOX has picked up the rights to the series, which starred ALAN YOUNG as the perplexed owner so they can do a movie.
By the way, there was a "Mr Ed" TV movie made as recently as 2004, starring DAVID ALAN BASCHE as the horse's owner, Wilbur Pope and with the voice of SHERMAN HEMSLEY as the horse.

Off the beaten path:

Today's nominee for Headline of the Week is a typo that reads: "Farm Bureau estimates crap damage at $207 million from Missouri River flooding."
They mean, of course, crop damage.
The sub-headline says, "The figure doesn't include damage to roads, buildings, or soil loss."
Editor's note: I'm confused. Did crap do the damage or was peoples' crap damaged? (Maiman)

Taking everything much too seriously:

Consultants hired to create better brand awareness for the airport told city officials in Chattanooga that they should change the name of the airport from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport to "Chattanooga Airport."
Taking out the "Metropolitan" creates simplicity, they said.
To go along with the new name, the consultancy also came up with a tag line for future advertising: "Get on board."
Most folks in Chattanooga already call the airport Chattanooga Airport.
The consultancy is based in Alabama.
Editor's note: May I suggest the Chattanooga International Airport, Hair Care and Tire Center. (Maiman)